Joshua kidd



UNirEo STATES 'PATENT OFFICE..

JOSHUA Kinn, O'F FERN BANK, wANDswOnTH COMMON, COUNTY OF AsUR- REY, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR ENRICHING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,925, dated October 4, 1881.

To all whom t may concern Beit known that I, JOSHUA Kinn, a subject and a variet y of apparatus have been devised for this purpose, such apparatus consisting, 2o usually, of a carhureting-vessel, the hydrocarbon in which has been heated by the direct heat from non-oarbureted-gas iiames and by conducted heat from gas burning at a distance from the vessel. ln all of these methods of 25' carburetiuggas the whole. mass of hydrocarbon in the vessel must be melted or raised to a considera-ble degree of heat before carburation of the gas takes place.

The object of my invention is to lessen the 3o time required for Carburation by causing a current of hot gas to impinge directly upon the surface ofthe hydrocarbon placed in the vessel. The surface or upper layer by thus heating it begins to vaporize and mixes with the heated 35 gas long before the entire mass is heated or liqueied. v

A' further Object Ot my invention is to provide a movable device for regulating the mixture of gas and hydrocarbon vapor, 'so that the 4o amount of Carburation can be regulated and instantly controlled bythe gas-consumer. This object is attained by so arranging the apparatus that more or less uncarbureted gas can be made to pass directly to the burner without 45 entering into the vessel containing the heated Application filed June 8, 1881. (No model.)

.vertical plane through an apparatus constructed upon a slightly-modified plan.

A indicates the carbureting-vessel, which may be ot' spherical or of cylindrical form, or Ot' any other convenient shape. It is provided 55 at its upper part with one or more apertures, a, through which the naphthaline or other hydrocarbon is fed in sticks or other solid form, these apertures being each provided with a screw-cap, B, by means of which the vessel can 6o be tightly closed after it has been charged. C C indicate a set of ordinary burners that are employed for illuminatingand heating purposes, and D the mnin gas-pipe through which the supply ofilluminatin'g-gas is derived. The 65 gas from the pipe passes Overan extended heating-surface before passing to the carburetingvessel, and as a means of' providing such ex, tended heating-surface I arrange above the burners a heater, E, consisting ot' a metal shell 7o that can be composed o'ftwo disks, ee,eacl1 having a central opening, F, formed through the same, and each being provided upon its inner tace with a number ot' corrugations that form passages so arranged that the gas will iiow 75 through the saine in order to be thoroughly heated. As shown in Figs.land 2, the opening through the heater, which is formed by/these openings F in the disks or halves of the heater, is divided into two parts'by a thin metal plate 8o or disk, F', that also lies between the two halves .Oi' the shell, in Order that the gas will ow from pipe D through opening F in the upper portion ot' the heater; thence out to and around the periphery of partition F', und back through the 85v passages in the lower portion ofthe heater to the pipe H. These passages in the heater may be a series of annular corrugations, G, with radial corrugations g connecting the same, or

each half of the heater can be provided with a 9o ,spiral corrugation and numerous radial pasj sages.

It will be observed that the intermediate j metal partition-plate does not close the Outer 'channel adjacent to the meeting-rims ot' the 95 halves of the shell, so that the currents of gas from pipe D will impinge upon and be split by the partition-plate into divided currents .flowing'outward through the corrugations of the Aupper half, passing around the periphery of the loc:

partition and then back through the corrugations of the lower half to the gas-pipe H, that connects with the heater, and establishes portion ot' a pipe-connection between the heater and the carbureting-vessel. The pipe H, that is preferably made ot copper or other good conductor of heat, connects with a casing, H', that surrounds and forms a chamber around the pipe I, that constitutes a continuation oi' pipe H and enters the carbureting-vessel. The branch pipes L that support the burners lead from the chamber L', formed bythe said shell, around the pipe which leads into the carbureting-vessel, said chamber communicating with the carbureting-vessel, whereby the gas that has been enriched in the latter can pass up into the said chamber L', and thence out through the branch pipes to the burners.

The pipe I is provided with ports i opening into the chamber L', that forms a passage between the burner-pipes and the carburetingvessel. Within the pipe I is a hollow cylindrical valve, K, open at both ends, and provided with ports K', (one being here shown,) which ports can be brought to deliverinto the ports t' of the pipe I, or to close the same either wholly or in part. The means provided for rotating this valve consist of a rod, M, supporting the valve by a yoke, and passing down through a tube, N, that is secured at its lower end in the bottom of the earbureting-vessel. This rod also passes th rough a suitable stufn gboX, u, and unta', below the carbureting-vessel, and is provided with a milled head, O, or a handle, so that it can be turned in order to operate the valve.

The operation will be as follows: The carbureting-vessel being charged with the sticks or other solid form of hydrocarbon, and the valve within pipe I turned so as to close the ports in saidv pipe, the gas will iiow through the heater and the pipe I into the carburetingvessel, and thence up through the chamber to the burners. Being lighted at the burners the ascendingheat will impinge against the heater, and thus heat the gas iiowing through the saine, so that the heated gas passing into the carbureting-vessel will impinge upon the su rface ot' the hydrocarbon and vaporize the same, whereby the vaporized hydrocarbon willmingle with the gas and enrich it. In this way but a short time will be required for carburation, since by conducting the heated gas down from the heater to the carbureter it will rapidly vaporize the hydrocarbon, and also the heat from the gas-dame will be conducted down to the vessel by means ofthe pipes, which becomerapidly heated by the said name.

In order to regulate the com mingling of the gas and hydrocarbon vapor, so that the amount of carburation can be regulated and instantly controlled by the gaseousumer, the operator will turn the valve so as to open the ports opening into chamber L' to a less or greater extent, as may be required, whereby the gas iowing directly from the heater into said chamber will pass to the burners, whereby more or less nncarbureted gas can be made to pass directly to the burner without entering the vessel containing the hydrocarbon.

It will be observed that the carbnretingvessel is surrounded bya jacket, It, which protects the same from cold, and which can also be made highly ornamental, and, also, that the casing H constitutes ajacket for protecting the pipe and the vessel from cold.

In the modication shown in Fig. 3 the gas flows through the gas-pipe D to a coil or bend, E, (which is arranged above the burner, and which subserves the purpose of the heater shown in Fig. 1,) through pipe I into the carbureting-vessel, and thence ont through pipe L to the burner, where the flame heats the said coil or bend, and thus heats the'gas that flows into the carbureter.

I do not broadly claim warming or heating the gas before it reaches the carbnreting-vessel for the purpose of enriching the gas before the entire mass ot' hydrocarbon is heated, as such, broadly, is not my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the carburetingvessel, ot the burner, the gas-heating chamber provided with a series of channels or corrugations, the pipe arranged to conduct the gas from the gas-heater to the carbureting-vesscl, a valve arranged to open and close the ports in said pipe, and a chamber around said pipe leading from the vessel to the burners, whereby the gas can be in part conducted directly from the heater to thc burners, or the whole of the heated gas may be directed into the carbureting-vessel, substantially as described.

2. 'Ihe combination, with the pipes D H, of the gas-heatingchamber E, arranged above the burners, and provided with a series of chau nels or corrugations and a disk or partition, F', for causing a circulation ot' gas through the heater, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the pipe H and casing H' ot' the pipe I, having ports t' t, and the cylindrical valve K, having port K', and adapted to be operated by the rod M, to control the tiow of carbureted or non-earbureted gas to the chamber L', substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSHUA KIDD.

Witnesses:

VINToN CooMBs, J. A. RU'rnERFoRD.

IOO

IOS 

